(Augusta, GA) – The 2012 Conference on the Black Experience will explore and celebrate contributions to the amalgam of history in the Americas, in particular North America, made by women of African Ancestry. Conference participants will examine the critical roles played by Africana women and how these roles have shaped [and continue to shape] the characteristic spirit of American culture.

Paine College’s first Conference on the Black Experience was held in February 1981. The project was conceptualized by former professor Dr. Leslie J. Pollard. The conference is designed to examine the historic and cultural experiences of Black people throughout the Diaspora and the resultant actions and reactions.The conference will be held on the campus of historic Paine College from February 6-9, 2012.

About Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall

Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall will be the keynote speaker for the Conference on the Black Experience. Guy-Sheftall was recently named the president of the National Women's Studies Association, a professional organization that is "dedicated to leading the field of women's studies, as well as its teaching, learning, research, and service wherever they be found." Guy-Sheftall is the founding director of the Spelman College Women’s Research and Resource Center and the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies. She has published a number of texts within African American and Women’s Studies which have been noted as seminal works by other scholars, including the first anthology on Black women’s literature, Sturdy Black Bridges: Visions of Black Women in Literature (Doubleday, 1980), which she coedited with Roseann P. Bell and Bettye Parker Smith; her dissertation, Daughters of Sorrow: Attitudes Toward Black Women, 1880-1920 (Carlson, 1991); Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought (New Press, 1995); and an anthology she co-edited with Rudolph Byrd entitled Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality (Indiana University Press, 2001). Her most recent publication is a book coauthored with Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women’s Equality in African American Communities (Random House, 2003). In 1983 she became founding co-editor of Sage: A Scholarly Journal of Black Women, devoted exclusively to the experiences of women of African descent.

Conference Panel Sessions will feature independent scholars, professors, graduate and undergraduate students in a variety of topical areas of women’s contributions in North America across discipline areas.

For additional information and schedules, contact the School of Arts and Sciences at 706-821- 8326 or visit the website and click on Conference on the Black Experience at http://www.paine.edu/cobe.

(Augusta, GA) - Paine College will host its 30th Annual Conference on the Black Experience. The conference will start Monday, February 7th and end Thursday, February 10th. All conference presentations will be held in Candler Memorial Library 2nd Floor.

On Wednesday, February 9, 2011 Dr. Alvin Poussaint of Harvard University will present The Media’s Impact on Children & Society. Poussaint is an author, psychiatrist, educator, and respected social critic, shows how to balance these important issues to create positive solutions for the future.

On subjects from stress to interpersonal communication, from multiculturalism to family dynamics, Poussaint is one of the country's top authorities. He has worked with corporate managers on the management of stress-related work issues and diversity in the workplace. An expert on the dynamics of racial and ethnic relations in America's increasingly multicultural society, Poussaint is also a strong proponent of non-violent parenting and parenting education, having devoted a great deal of time to violence prevention initiatives.

Born in East Harlem, Poussaint attended Columbia and received his MD from Cornell. He received his psychiatric training at UCLA and earned a masters degree in research methodology. From 1965-67, he was Southern Field Director of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in Jackson, Miss., providing medical care to civil rights workers and aiding in the desegregation of hospitals and health facilities throughout the South.

In 1969, he joined Harvard Medical School, where he is Professor of Psychiatry and Faculty Dean for Student Affairs. He is director of the Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs. From 1994-2010, Poussaint served as Director of the Media Center of the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston, promoting the health and well being of children and families. The Media Center launched the nonprofit Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which advocates reducing the impact of advertising in children's lives. He has provided consultation to government agencies, corporations, and the media.

Poussaint authored Why Blacks Kill Blacks (now out of print); co-authored with Dr. James Comer Raising Black Children; and co-authored with Amy Alexander Lay My Burden Down: Suicide and the Mental Health Crisis Among African Americans. With Bill Cosby, he co-authored Come On, People! On the Path from Victims to Victors, a powerful message for families and communities as they lay out their visions for strengthening America, or for that matter, the world. He has written over 100 articles for both lay and professional publications. As a script consultant to one of the most popular and groundbreaking television programs, The Cosby Show, Poussaint was hired by Cosby to review the scripts and provide consultation on psychological and educational issues in order to screen out inappropriate humor and stereotypes. Responsible for creating positive images of blacks and expanding the cultural context represented by the show, he also served as an educational consultant to Little Bill and Fatherhood for Nickelodeon.

Poussaint is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Life Member of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received numerous awards and many honorary degrees.

Paine College’s first Conference on the Black Experience was held in February 1981. The project was conceptualized and coordinated by former professors Dr. Leslie J. Pollard, and E. Fuller Callaway. The conference is designed to examine the historic and cultural experiences of Black people throughout the Diaspora and the resultant actions and reactions. The conference will also feature Majorie Evans, Paine College student, Dr. Toby Jenkins of George Mason University, Dr. Glen McMillan of City University or New York-Medgar Evers College, Dr. Derrick Jenkins of University of Cincinnati, Dr. Michael Taylor of Paine College, Dr. Heather J. Abdelnur of Augusta State University, Mr. Marion Barnes, President of the Richmond County Board of Education (Paine alumnus); Dr. Carol Roundtree, Executive Director for Student Services; Dr. Missoura Ashe, Executive Director for Elementary Schools, Dr. Adeleri Onisegun of Paine College and Dr. Cherie Dawson-Edwards of Kentucky State University .

Monday, February 7, 201110-10:50am - History of Black History Month by Marjorie Evans Paine College Psychology Student 11-11:50am - Portrait of Culture in Contemporary America by Dr. Toby Jenkins, George Mason University 12-1:45pm - Singing in a Strange Land by Dr. Glen McMillan, City University of New York-Medgar Evers College Luncheon (By Invitation Only) 4-4:50pm - Hip Hop Activism and Education by Dr. Derrick Jenkins, University of Cincinnati